Come What May
by theelderwand24
Summary: This is a Crisscolfer fic. that i've posted on It Could Happen . net If you do not like, don't read. Chris was attacked in Clovis and had to be transfered to San Fransisco Hospital where he meets the young and handsome volunteer Darren Criss. The two boys hit it off and when Chris is realeased he is free to presue the man he fell in love with at the hosiptal.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

Chris Colfer was sick of his life.

Living in a small, rather intolerant town really drove into your skull that you will never be famous or well known in any matter of the sort.

But not for Chris, no he was determined to go all the way, pursue his dreams of being a famous actor and author, living in a more tolerant place, like LA or New York.

But on a blustery February night in the year 2010 his life changed forever as he was walking home from work.

Chris rounded a bend in the road in the dark twilit street and found himself in the worst street in Clovis.

The shadowy trees that lined the footpath created eerie shadows that leered down at him, casting hideous shapes across the path, concealing every bump and turn in the concrete that Chris now slowly padded down, averting his eyes from the lurking houses. He was passing houses that he knew people that tormented him lived in.

It was one of the most harrowing experiences that he had to face daily, not knowing if he would be attacked at any moment, not knowing if he would make it home in time for dinner with his family or to see his sweet little sister ever again.

As Chris walked down the straight lane towards the bend in the road that led to his street, he heard a twig snap in the still air.

It was a subtle little sound but in the dead twilight it echoed back to Chris who had stopped dead at the noise.

He had learnt that a twig snapping could mean anything and in this case it meant the worst possible thing that could happen to the young, lonely boy.

'Hey fag' called a drawling voice from behind Chris.

Chris knew that voice well; it had tormented him for many years at his high school and into the brief amount of time that he had been an adult.

The voice belonged to Mark Simms, the old High School quarterback and one of the meanest people that Chris had ever met in his life.

Chris ignored him and started to walk again, hoping that keeping his head down would stop the other man from killing him like he said he would one day.

'Wow, now you're ignoring me. I fell so lonely' he teased, still following Chris who still said nothing, years of being bullied had given Chris a quick tongue but there was always something about Mark Simms.

The fact that he was like three times more muscular than Chris might have been a factor but all Chris knew was that he had to leave the street as fast as possible and he could do so in the shadows of the twilight, he was safe for the time-being.

But just as Chris was reaching the bend in the sidewalk the streetlights flickered into life, flooding the dreary street with harsh artificial yellow light, exposing Chris to Mark.

Mark smiled eerily and made his way casually to Chris, swinging his arms lightly and whistling a tune that Chris did not recognise.

Chris was rooted to the spot, too scared to move, all he could do was watch Mark make his way slowly towards him.

'Don't you want to talk, homo?' Mark asked as he reached Chris who was determinately avoiding the gaze cast by the towering Mark.

'Hmm, well I guess I should go then' Mark said, sighing dramatically and turned around and started to walk away.

Chris let out a silent sigh of relief, holding his shaking arms close to his chest, very thankful that nothing bad happened.

That's when all hell broke loose.

Suddenly Chris was surrounded by five hulking young boys, all of whom bullied him every day in High School.

The last thing that Chris remembered thinking before the first fist slammed into his head was that he hoped this was the end, hoped that these five guys would kill him so he wouldn't have to live with this level of abuse every day for the rest of his life.

They didn't talk as they pounded Chris, one of them, however let out a shrill laugh as he kicked Chris harshly in the stomach. Chris blacked out a few punches into the attack so he was unaware of the damage that was being done to him.

* * *

Chris opened his eyes slowly; aware of the harsh pain that was flooding his body with every breath he took in.

A starry black sky met his blank gaze; he was alone lying on the street in a pool of his own blood.

He didn't move a muscle; his head felt like it had been cleaved open.

The pain was throbbing through his body, making him feel as if he was on fire, making every nerve in his body hurt like hell.

The time trickled away slowly, and Chris had no clue how long he had been lying there, he hadn't moved a muscle since he woke up, he didn't have the energy to call for help, he couldn't make his body obey him so he was just stuck there, wave after wave of pain hitting him.

That wasn't the first time he had wanted to die but it was the first time that he nearly did die and it scared him a lot to know that he was almost killed by the people he swore he was never going to see again.

As more time flowed past Chris felt the need to move so he gingerly raised his head slowly from the concrete and the dried blood.

As soon as he moved he felt his head explode in pain that ripped through his skull, causing him to slump back down into the comfort that was the hard concrete, smacking his head a little again, sending more pain flooding through his system.

Chris groaned softly, aware the he was most likely going to die here, in the town that he swore to himself that he would leave.

He was gone, lost forever at that moment.

He had no idea what was going to happen to him, and he had no idea if his family were worried about his absence because he was late home a lot of the time these days as he took a route that led him away from this street, but today was important, he had to get home ASAP.

As Chris was lying there, slowly regaining some of his strength, he heard a woman scream from somewhere behind him.

He didn't flinch or move, just continued to stare at the stars that twinkled above him, lighting up the sky with natural light.

The woman who had screamed rushed back into her house and picked up the phone. She quickly dialled 9-1-1 and informed them that a young man was lying dead on the side walk.

Five minutes later the woman had gathered a crowd of people who were all milling around Chris's form.

He was unaware of the commotion that was surrounding him as people ran from their homes to look at the fagot little kid that was lying, apparently dead on the concrete, still bleeding from the wound in his head.

The moment that Chris became properly aware of the situation was when he felt a warm hand slip into his; he felt the warm breath hitting him in heaving in sobs. Then he saw the long blond hair of his little sister, Hannah, falling across the line of his vision.

She was kneeling over his unresponsive body, letting her tears flow freely from her eyes, letting them hit her big brother with little splats that made her weep more because he wasn't pushing her off him in annoyance.

Chris watched with empty eyes as the tears of his sister fall onto his face.

He then felt a slight pang of remorse, he wasn't fighting this, he was allowing himself to die, and he was allowing his little sister to cry over him.

'Hannah' Chris managed to whisper in a deep hoarse voice that sounded absolutely nothing like his naturally high, feminine voice.

'Chris' Hannah moaned and gently patted Chris's forehead with her hand, still allowing her tears to fall freely from her eyes. 'The ambulance should be here soon, hang in there Chris' Hannah whispered to her older brother.

Chris closed his eyes again, allowing the weariness that he had been feeling before to swallow him up and take him to a better place, a place where Hannah didn't have epilepsy, a place where Chris wasn't gay and was a normal kid who had friends and wasn't lying on the concrete on his death-bed, and wasn't bleeding profusely from his head.


	2. San Francisco

The next thing Chris knew was that he was waking up in a plain white room, a room where he had never set foot in before.

He rolled his head to the side and saw a high window with golden sunlight streaming through; he couldn't make out the distant shapes outside the building but was aware that he was not in Clovis.

Chris was too weak to move more than his head, the bed he was in was too comfortable anyway, the white cotton sheets were nice and warm and he was alone, alone at last and as far as he could tell, he was away from Mark and the others who had beat him to a pulp…

Chris suddenly sat up fast which was a big mistake to do.

His head felt like it was split open with liquid fire streaming through the crack, burning his brain.

'ARGH' Chris screamed and held his head in his hands.

'Chris, Christopher sweetie, be careful' came a voice that wafted over to Chris through the blindness of the pain.

'M-M-Mum, is that you?' Chris managed to gasp out through the searing pain that was splitting his head open.

Chris had recognised the voice of his mother, one of the two women that Chris knew he could depend on no matter what happened to him.

'Yes sweetie' she said soothingly while rushing forward to her only son, her poor son who had been through a lot in his short life.

'W-w-where am I, how did I get here?' Chris asked through his fingers, braving the bright glare of the sunlight, trying not to cause too much pain again.

'Sweetie do you remember anything…about what happened?' she asked soothingly, running her long fingers through Chris's brown hair like she did when he was a little boy, crying in her lap after school when the kids teased him for having a 'girl' voice.

'I-I-I remember Mark' Chris said 'then the rest of his gang and someone raising their fists…mum where am I?' Chris asked urgently as worry seeped into his voice.

'Sweetie you-you were. Um, sweetie' she began softly.

But as she looked at the figure of her son, retreating from the sun, still holding his head like that, it broke her heart.

It was very unfair that she had to be the one to tell him what happened that awful night.

'Chris sweetie you were…attacked' she said as calmly as she could but still felt tears leak out of the corners of her eyes as she saw Chris stiffen at the news.

'Attacked?' Chris asked dumbly, letting the word float over him, not letting it penetrate his tough outer shell.

'Sweetie, you-you were left for-for d-d-d-dead' she said, unable to repress a sob that shuddered through her body.

The thought of losing Chris was more than she could bear at that moment, she was so thankful for Mrs Trod for finding Chris in time and for calling the ambulance when she did otherwise it might have been too late to save him.

Chris managed to peel his fingers from his face to stare at his mother with his blank and dead looking blue eyes.

That look alone was one of the worst things that Karyn Colfer had ever seen in her life, and she had seen her children go through some very tough things, but nothing, nothing like this.

'I was left for dead' Chris repeated blankly, looking at his mother who was crying silently into her hands.

'Y-yes' she managed to gasp out 'a-a-a few days ago.'

Chris stared at her for a moment before slowly lying back down in the bed, staring at the white celling, not letting his feelings show on his face, not allowing himself to show his mother what this was actually doing to him.

'You still haven't answered me' Chris managed to say.

'W-what do you mean, sweetie?' Karyn asked gently as she started to run her fingers through his hair again 'what question?'

'Where am I?' Chris asked again, still not looking at his mother.

'You-you were transferred to a better hospital the morning after you were…after your accident. Sweetie you're in San Francisco' Karyn smiled gently, knowing that Chris had always wanted to visit San Fran.

'Am I really?' Chris asked without enthusiasm.

'Yes sweetie, really here in San Francisco' Karyn said slowly. She was suddenly uneasy at Chris's strange behaviour.

Before Chris could respond there came a gentle knock at the door and then a very untidy head of curly brown hair popped into view.

The face of the young man was smiling hugely, his hazel eyes were glowing with radiant joy as they swept over Chris and Karyn.

'Excuse me?' he asked as he wiped the mop of curls out of the way of his eyes, letting them roll backwards on his head.

'Yes' Karyn said, looking a little alarmed at the man as he bounced into the room, seeming to shower joy and happiness wherever he placed his feet.

'Is this room 1045?' he asked casually as he strolled up to Chris who was eyeing him angrily.

'No sorry dear, this is room 1044, 1045 is next door' Karyn said gently, looking back at Chris who was still staring at the intruder with narrowed eyes.

'Oh my god, I'm so sorry' he said, still with the huge grin plastered onto his kind face.

'I should go, I am so sorry' he said while walking backwards out of the room, gazing at Chris wonderingly.

Chris was still watching him closely with narrowed eyes, this stranger was too…happy.

'Hey man, get better soon alright' he said as he reached the white door and slowly pushed it open without a squeak.

Chris still just stared at the man as he smiled softly at Chris before bowing out of the room leaving Chris and Karyn alone together in the room, alone, again.

'Well he seemed nice' Karyn said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that grew after the man left the room.

'Yeah he did' Chris agreed, still speaking in monotone.

'Chris honey, are you…alright?' Karyn asked softly, walking back to her son's side and grasping one of his hands in her own.

'I don't know mum.' Chris began angrily 'I was beaten up by my high school bullies and left for dead on the sidewalk of a place that I swore I was going to leave, I've had better days' Chris said unhappily.

Karyn stared at the broken young man before her and felt her heart break all over again.

'Hey, where are Hannah and Dad?' Chris asked suddenly, finally noticing their absence.

'Oh, they're getting us a hotel for the time being, we're going to spend a bit of time here.'

Chris looked up, horrified at what his mother said.

'Don't worry honey, you'll be out sometime this week, all you had was a concussion and a rather nasty cut on the head.

'But the doctors just want to make sure. No we're going to have a holiday in San Francisco this year, how does that sound?' Karyn asked, smiling lightly at the look of joy that briefly flashed across Chris's face.

'That sounds great' Chris said happily, forgetting for a moment that he was now a victim of a hate crime, just one that ended a bit better than others.

Karyn smiled and turned away from Chris, wiping more tears out of her eyes.

'Hey mum' Chris said making Karyn turn back around and look at her son.

'Yes Chris?'

'I love you, you know that right?' Chris said uneasily.

'I do' Karyn smiled hugely at her son, thanking every deity for his safety and his new found happiness.

'And you know I love you too?' she asked uncertainly.

Chris stared at him mother for a moment before he smiled and nodded softly, trying not to jar his pounding head too much.


	3. Darren Criss

That night, after Karyn left the hospital, Chris was staring at the moonlight that was filtering through the window and was thinking about that night when he was attacked and how he had wished death upon himself.

As he was nearing tears at the thought of leaving Hannah and his parents alone for good, there came a soft knock at the door.

'Come in' Chris called out into the silence, thinking that it was his mother again.

A moment later a mane of curly brown hair entered the room followed by the man that had accidentally walked into Chris's room earlier.

'Hey man, how you are feeling?' he asked as he walked into the room. Chris squinted at him, the light from outside was giving him an angelic glow.

'I'm fine' Chris said slowly as the unknown man closed the door quietly behind him.

'Aren't visiting hours over?' Chris asked.

'Well for normal people, but I however, am a volunteer at this hospital so I get special privileges that are not welcome to the general public' the man said, smiling hugely at Chris who shifted uncomfortably in the bed.

'Well what are you doing here?' Chris asked, looking away from the man, he seemed too happy to be allowed to exist.

'I saw you earlier and you looked so down-trodden I thought I would come and cheer you up a little bit,' he said earnestly 'but only if that's alright with you?' he added quickly as he looked at Chris squarely in the eyes.

Chris stared at the man, never in his life had anyone outside his family wanted to talk to him let alone cheer him up in any way possible. It was a strange new experience and he wasn't sure if he liked it that much.

'I'm fine', Chris said slowly, still not taking his eyes off the other man's face, there was something hypnotic about his features, they were masculine but not over-the-top masculine, that was a big turn off for Chris, so was overly feminine guys, he liked guys…like this man, just casual and cool.

Chris realised that he had been staring at the man for a few minutes, not even noticing that he had just spoken.

The man was staring at Chris, he head cocked to one side and his mouth in a small knowing smile.

'Sorry, could you please repeat that?' Chris asked and started to turn a little red at the look on the man's face.

'I was saying that I don't think your fine and please at least talk to me. What's your name and why are you here? I think that was all' he said casually as he moved over to stand next to Chris who started to tense up a little.

'My name is Matt Henry' Chris lied to the man, thinking up the name randomly.

The man stood there, staring at Chris for a moment before saying 'please don't lie to me, I promise I won't hurt you.' And the he gave Chris a look that reminded him of a small puppy's pout.

Chris gaped at the older man, his eyes bugging out of his head, how did he know that he was lying?

'T-that is my name' Chris lied again. He averted his gaze from the man who was still giving Chris a look that was beginning to melt his heart.

'Really, is it? Well I heard your mother call you Christopher and on your chart is says Christopher Paul Colfer so I hardly believe that your name is Matt Henry' the man said but Chris could tell that he wasn't angry; on the contrary he was smiling hugely at Chris and was still giving him his puppy-dog look.

'Did you just think of that name just now?' he asked casually.

'Well yeah' Chris admitted.

The older man started to laugh his head off, throwing it back and letting out a muffled howl of laughter that made Chris's heart leap into action, which was one of the most beautiful sounds that he had ever heard in his life.

But Chris ignored his laughter and the strange feelings that had burst into his heart, and asked over it 'so now you know my name, what's yours?'

The man stopped laughing and looked at Chris; he cocked his head to one side again and smiled softly at Chris.

'What? I haven't told you my name? Well its Darren, Darren Everett Criss to be exact' he said and held out his hand for Chris to shake.

Chris eyed the hand carefully before slowly reaching out his hand and shaking Darren's.

When his hand caught hold of Darren's, he felt a sudden surge of emotions overcome his body. Chris gasped a little but held onto Darren's gaze.

'Nice to meet you Darren Criss' Chris said softly, staring into the hazel depths of Darren's eyes.

'You too, Chris Colfer' Darren whispered.

The two men stayed like that for a moment before Chris cleared his throat and withdrew his hand quickly from Darren's grip.

'So Chris' Darren went on as if nothing had happened 'what brings you to this place?'

Chris looked back at Darren and started to judge if he could trust him or not. Chris took a deep breath before saying 'I was a victim of a hate crime.'

Chris let out a small sob, he had literally told a stranger, and a strange stranger he was, that he was bullied to the point of…well this, staying in a hospital.

'Wow man, I- don't know what to say…' Darren said, trailing off. His eyes were still focused on Chris's face; his eyes were watering up a little.

'It's alright, I really don't care' Chris said nonchalantly but Darren saw something flicker in Chris's blue eyes. However he said nothing.

'Are you sure you're alright?' Darren asked.

'Yes, I'm fine, the doctors said that I could be discharged in two days then it'll be my first vacation in over six years, we're going to stay in San Francisco, I've always wanted to go…' again Chris caught himself. He had no idea why he was sharing everything with this stranger he had met properly only a few minutes ago.

But Darren seemed unfazed instead he literally jumped in the air and said loudly: 'You'll love it, I do, I really miss it though when I'm in Michigan, I'm studying acting at the university there, or rather I used to, I'm back here now. Anyway, wow man I promise you that you will love this city, I do…'

'You already told me' Chris laughed, interrupting the over-excited Darren, whose eyes were bugged out with joy.

'I know, I'm sorry dude, but you will really love this city.'

Darren looked down at the watch strapped to his wrist.

'Oh damn, I'm late, sorry Chris but I have to go' Darren said and turned to leave but when he got to the door he turned around and said: 'You know I only just got this. My last name's Criss and your first name is Chris. Oh my god, imagine if we married, you'll name will be Chris Criss' and with that Darren left the room, laughing at his own late realisation.

But Chris was sitting shocked in his bed; some male stranger had just said if they got married, they as in two boys got married.

Chris gulped audibly and was very glad that no one was there to see this encounter.

This man, Darren Criss, was nothing like the men that Chris Colfer knew and he liked it, he was intrigued by Darren Everett Criss.

That night Chris fell asleep soundly, not even thinking about Mike and his gang that attacked him, this time he was thinking about Darren and the fact that if he had died that night, he would never had met Darren Criss.


	4. Come What May: Part 1

The next day Chris woke to sunlight streaming through the open window. The sound of birds chirping was deafening and he wondered how the window opened. The answer of the question was answered immediately as he turned his head to the side he saw his little sister playing on her DS, his mother reading a magazine and his father staring into space, the whole family was there and Chris had never felt safer in his life.

'Morning' he said sleepily, causing all three of his family members to jump in shock, they weren't aware that he was awake.

'Good morning sweetie' Karyn said while clutching her chest with her hand.

'Morning' Tim Colfer said absently after recovering from the shock of his son scaring them all.

Hannah said nothing; she was looking down at the ground, her fingers laced together tightly, and avoiding Chris's eyes at all costs.

'Han, I'm fine' Chris said, interpreting that she was uneasy about the injuries that he had received.

'You nearly died Chris, I was there' Hannah whispered, still avoiding eye contact.

Chris noticed that there were tears falling down his sisters cheeks and suddenly he felt so guilty that it literally felt like a punch in the stomach.

'Hey Hannah, look at me' Chris pleaded.

Slowly Hannah raised her head and looked into Chris's eyes.

'There's nothing that you could have done' Chris said slowly and calmly.

'Yes there is!' Hannah yelled, jumping to her feet, making everyone in the room stare at her. 'I-I-I could have been a better sister and…'

'Hannah even if you were there, they still would have done this, and you would probably be in here with me and I would never live with myself if that happened to you, I love you Hannah.'

Hannah looked at her older brother, the brother she so whished that she could protect from every harm that was thrown at him, but she couldn't.

'I love you too Chris, I just feel so guilty' Hannah moaned while sinking back into the uncomfortable seat next to Chris's bed.

'Hannah, sweetie there was nothing you could have done, like Chris said they would have attacked you too' Karyn said gently, moving over to her two children.

Hannah nodded silently at the floor, still avoiding eye contact with everyone.

Chris placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and squeezed gently, the small amount of pressure comforted Hannah in ways that no words could, she loved her big brother more than anything and she was so ashamed of herself for being so weak as to not be able to take care of him.

After that little encounter the family acted normally around Chris but around lunchtime he forced them out if the hospital, telling them to get a head start on sightseeing. After initial hesitation his family agreed and left Chris alone in the hospital ward.

While Chris was reading _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows _for the millionth time, he heard a voice echo through the corridor, this voice was singing a vague song and even from this distance Chris could tell that whoever owned that voice could sing.

As the minutes flowed by the voice only stopped to change songs, sometimes accompanied by a female voice, they both flowed together beautifully, weaving in and out in perfect sync. Soon Chris got so distracted by the voices that he slammed his battered book close and ripped the sheets off his body.

He slowly made his way out of his room, careful not to set off another headache, and followed the duo down the white corridor and into the waiting room.

There Darren Criss was, singing beautifully with some girl who had bouncy brown hair that flowed to her shoulders, her nose was slightly crooked but she had very kind eyes that, like Darren's, seemed to radiate joy and happiness.

Chris watched the couple from the corner of the room, they really did sound very good together.

Just then the song finished and Darren was smiling hugely, reducing his hazel eyes to crinkled specks.

Chris applauded along with the rest of the crowd gathered around the duo.

'Right the next song is one of my favourite musical numbers that I have ever sung before in my life, I hope you like it and of course lovely Matilda will be helping me out with this one also' Darren said and winked to the girl who blushed deeply.

'Ready? 1, 2, 3' Darren said and began to sing:

_Never knew I could feel like this  
Like I've never seen the sky before  
Want to vanish inside your kiss  
Every day I love you more and more  
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings  
Telling me to give you everything  
Seasons may change winter to spring  
But I love you until the end of time_

Chris recognised the song at once, it was also one of his favourites, _Come What May_ featured in the musical _Moulin Rouge,_ It was, in Chris's opinion, one of the most beautiful love songs ever and the way Darren was singing Christians part was amazing, Chris had never heard anyone sound the way that Darren does.

Just then Darren looked up at Chris and smiled before hitting the chorus:

_Come what may, come what may  
I will love you until my dying day_

During the entire chorus, Darren never took his eyes off Chris's face; he seemed to be singing the son to Chris and Chris only, not the fifteen or so people gathered in the room listening to him.

But after Darren finished the chorus, Matilda cut in with Satine's verse:

_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place  
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace  
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste  
It all revolves around you_

Chris knew that this girl could sing, and sing well, better than he could in his opinion, she sounded so beautiful and true that it was hard not to believe that Darren and her were a couple. But then it hit Chris like a train, they probably were a couple and he was stupid for thinking that Darren would be staring at Chris before, he was probably looking into the crowd and happened to look in Chris's direction.

_And there's no mountain too high no river too wide  
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side  
Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide  
But I love you until the end of time_

Again right before the chorus Darren turned and looked right at Chris, this time Chris was sure that Darren was looking at him, and him only, this feeling that Darren was making Chris feel was the best he had ever experienced, it felt like swarms of butterflies somehow hatched in his stomach, it felt like he was floating in the air because a beautiful man like Darren Criss was staring at him, Chris Colfer.

_Come what may, come what may  
I will love you until my dying day  
Oh come what may, come what may  
I will love you_

Chris knew that he shouldn't be feeling like this, Darren was a very straight man who happened to walk into his life yesterday and by mistake seemed to care a little about Chris's well-being.

_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place..._

Chris looked at Darren who was still staring at him. Just before the final chorus in the song Darren smiled and winked at Chris, whose stomach seemed to drop through his body and explode inside him, sending washes of heat through his body, seeming to land in his face.

_Come what may, come what may  
I will love you until my dying day_

With the final note, Darren finally broke the eye-contact and looked at the girl, Matilda and smiled at her.

Chris felt weird as he applauded along with the rest of the crowd, he felt like Darren was with him even though he was across the room chatting with Matilda, he felt like Darren was the one who was handing him his hand as Chris was leaning over a great chasm of doom that was about to suck him into oblivion, somehow that man standing in the front of the room was saving Chris's life and Chris was shocked at the feelings that were swarming through his body as Darren flashed him another smile.


	5. Numbers

After the small concert Darren kissed Matilda's hand and then bowed away from the crowd. Chris watched him walk towards him at a quick pace.

'Hey' he said breathlessly while wiping some sweat off his forehead while doing so.

'Hey' Chris greeted 'you sound amazing'

'Thank you so much, it's sorta my dream to become a musician and well, you've gotta start small and work your way up' Darren sighed and looked around the small room where the visitors and patients started to go about their daily business.

'So who was that girl you were singing with?' Chris asked 'she's really pretty.'

Darren looked at Chris for a moment before laughing quietly and saying 'she's my friend, she was just diagnosed with breast cancer, I'm here to make her feel better and singing is a passion of hers' Darren said glumly, trying not to cry at the thought of Matilda dying.

'Oh my god, I'm so sorry' Chris said, looking appalled at what he was implying.

'The doctors say she doesn't have much time left so we've been seeing a lot of each other lately, we both know she won't be around for much longer…' Darren let the sentence trail off into silence.

'Darren, I'm so sorry' Chris whispered.

'Don't be, it's not me who's dying' Darren chuckled darkly. Chris watched him for a second before gingerly reaching out and touching Darren on the arm. This was the first time ever that Chris had initiated any sort of physical contact with another person out of his family, let alone a boy whom he was getting a bit of a crush on.

Darren looked down at the hand that was resting gently on his arm. It felt strange to him to have that warmth splayed there by one of the most guarded people that he had ever met.

'Thank you Chris' Darren muttered under his breath.

'Anytime Darren' Chris whispered.

* * *

The next Day Chris was standing next to his bed, the suitcase that his parents brought him was laying open on the white sheets, and Chris was packing the small amount of possessions that he bought to the hospital, ready for the long awaited holiday to San Francisco when he heard a small knock on the door.

'About time mum, you said you'll be here five minu…DARREN' Chris called out in surprise, opening the door to see Darren standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers and a silly grin that made Chris think of Goofy the dog.

'Hey Chris, I heard that you were being discharged today' Darren said happily.

'Yeah, about time too, all I had was a concussion…' Chris said angrily but accepting the flowers with a smile as Darren handed them over.

'Well you never know Chris, a concussion can be deadly' Darren said seriously.

'Yeah, only if it isn't treated properly' Chris retorted playfully, slapping Darren gently on the arm.

'Ouch' Darren said, giving a very fake leap if pain.

'Oh ha ha' Chris said sarcastically, hitting Darren lightly again.

'Hey Colfer, if you don't stop I might have to sue for grievous bodily harm' Darren said seriously.

Chris looked up into those hazel eyes and saw a light shining behind them, he knew that Darren was joking but he still cupped a hand to his mouth.

'You wouldn't dare!' Chris hissed through a smile he was concealing.

'Oh I don't know Chris, I might make you pay in some other way' Darren said with a mischievous grin spreading slowly across his face, giving him a sort of manic look that disturbed Chris a little.

Before Chris could ask what Darren was going to do, Darren leapt onto Chris and started to tickle him with all his might. Chris fell onto the bed, laughing as a heavy Darren fell on top of him, tickling him like there was no tomorrow.

The boys only stopped when they heard a throat being cleared from the doorway. Chris pushed Darren off him to see Karyn Colfer standing at the door, a big smile playing across her face.

'Good morning boys' she said happily as she walked into the room, seemingly indifferent to a total stranger that was lying atop her baby boy.

'Morning mum, you remember Darren?' Chris said, gesturing to Darren unnecessarily. Darren gave a small wave to Karyn who smiled at him.

'Yes I do Christopher, it's nice to see you again Darren' she said kindly while walking over to the suitcase that slid off the bed when Darren pounced Chris.

'So Christopher, are you ready to go?' she asked, avoiding looking at the two boys who were still sitting on the bed, their legs were still tangled together but neither of them seemed to care.

'Yeah mum, just saying goodbye to a…a friend' Chris said, smiling at Darren whose face looked like it was hit with the purest of sunlight's.

'Oh so you made a friend already?' Karyn asked, still from beneath the bed, zipping up the suitcase slowly.

'Yeah, I guess I have' Chris said quietly, looking at Darren who was smiling like a small boy finding ten dollars on the side of the road.

'Hey Darren, could-could I possible get y-y-your number?' Chris whispered as Karyn pulled the suitcase from the floor and over to where her handbag was lying.

'Sure thing, buddy' Darren said loudly, making Karyn look over at them both, a small grin stretching over her face.

Chris groaned a little but still handed over his cheap phone to Darren.

Darren quickly typed his number into Chris's contacts and handed the phone back.

'Hey I don't have my phone on me, it's in Matilda's room, but could you text me or something so I can have your number?' Darren asked as the three of them started to leave the room.

'Sure, I'll text you when I get to the hotel' Chris said quietly, aware that his mother was humming softly to herself, trying not to be in the way of the two of them.

'Great, I'll see you around Chris, don't forget to text me' Darren said as they reached the end of the corridor'

'I won't' Chris said sadly, suddenly this felt like a goodbye forever and he was on the verge of tears.

'It was nice meeting you Mrs Colfer' Darren said, addressing Karyn for the first time.

She looked startled but smiled warmly at Darren and said 'it was nice to meet you also Darren, if you would like, you could come and have dinner with us tonight.'

Chris and Darren looked taken aback at the invitation but both were relieved that Karyn suggested it.

'I would love to Mrs Colfer, Chris can text me the details' Darren said, smiling at the taller man who smiled back.

'Well I really should get back to Matilda, I'll see you guys tonight then' Darren said and walked away from Chris and Karyn.

They watched him round a corner and disappear from sight.

'He seems nice' Karyn smirked at her son.

'We're just friend's mum' Chris sighed.

'Yes, keep telling yourself that' Karyn muttered as they set off for the elevators


	6. Dinner

Chris was having a great time in San Francisco, granted he'd only been out in public for ten hours but as he was leaving for the restaurant to have dinner with his family and Darren he couldn't help thinking that maybe San Francisco was the best place for him to come and live. All day he'd seen gay couples walking around the streets, holding hands and even kissing and the general public didn't give a damn. And even as they were driving in the rented car down the busy streets of San Francisco, Chris saw another gay couple, and ordinary one as far as Chris could tell, kissing on a park bench and an old woman walking by didn't even bat her eyes.

The Colfer family arrived at the restaurant five minutes earlier than they told Darren to come but they were surprised to find Darren sitting in the waiting room, looking very dapper in a suit, he'd even combed his messy curls down to his forehead. Chris smiled when he saw Darren and immediately walked over to him, dragging Hannah along because she didn't seem to want to let go of his hand.

'Hey Darren' Chris said happily to the man as he stood from the couch to greet the Colfer family.

'Hey Chris' Darren said uncertainly, looking at Hannah who was glaring at him suspiciously from beneath her blonde hair.

'This is my little sister, Hannah' Chris said happily, seemingly unaware of the look Hannah was giving Darren.

'Hello Hannah' Darren said brightly.

'Good evening' Hannah sad seriously, still not loosening the tight glare she was giving Darren.

Darren found a way to distract himself from Hannah in the form of Tim and Karyn Colfer whom he seemed to get along with amazingly.

Chris watched happily from the side-line while Darren and his father talked sports. Karyn was at the front desk, telling the man behind that they had a reservation so Chris pulled Hannah aside.

'Hey, what's up?' he asked sincerely.

'I don't trust that guy' Hannah said, eyeing Darren evilly.

Chris laughed a little at the look Hannah was giving Darren and said 'what's the matter with Darren? He's a great guy.'

'I don't want him to hurt you, Chris. I see the way you look at him, I'm not blind or stupid' Hannah hissed unhappily from her clenched teeth.

Chris blushed a little but grabbed Hannah's hands in his own and said 'I like Darren as a friend and a friend only, there will never be anything between us so don't worry' Chris said reassuringly.

Hannah stared at her older brother for a moment before laughing a little 'you don't see it yet, but trust me you will.' Chris couldn't respond because at that moment his mother walked over and ushered them all into the restaurant for their dinner.

It seemed like accident but Karyn made Chris and Darren sit close together at one end of the booth, Hannah sulked but agreed to sit at the head of the table, thinking that she was the most important person at the table and in Chris's eyes, she was.

As soon as they were all settled into their seats, the conversations flowed like water from a tap. Darren and Tim seemed to get along great, Hannah was conversing with Karyn about what they would do tomorrow in San Fran and Chris was sitting next to Darren, watching him interact with his family. The group were interrupted by their water who wanted to take their orders.

'Umm, I'll have the barbeque bacon burger, please' Chris said, handing the menu back to the waiter. Darren stared at Chris for a moment before ordering the same thing.

'Copycat' Chris whispered as his family placed their orders.

'No, not really' Darren disagreed.

'Why not? You ordered the same thing.'

'Well barbeque bacon burgers are my favourite thing in the world' Darren retorted.

Chris looked at Darren, dumbfounded 'they're my favourite thing also' Chris muttered as Hannah eyed them closely.

Darren chortled a little before saying 'well it looks like we both have great tastes in food'

'Agreed' Chris agreed and took a sip of Diet Coke that he ordered a few minutes ago.

The rest of the meal past by smoothly, Chris and Darren hit it off more, Hannah grew less weary of Darren and Tim and Karyn were watching their son interact with the other boy happily, they had never seen him look so happy in all of his life, they felt good about their decision and knew what they were doing was the right thing.

The end of the meal arrived and Tim and Karyn had to shout down Darren who was insisting to pay for dinner. In the end they came to an agreement that Darren would pay half of the bill because he was so insistent.

'Smooth' Chris whispered in Darren's ear as he walked past.

Darren whirled around and gave Chris a big smile, he really like Chris's family, they were all extremely nice except Hannah was giving him the creeps because she kept on staring at Darren suspiciously though that was dying down now that she was getting tired.

The five of them wound up on the chilly street, saying their goodbyes.

'It was nice to meet you, Darren' Tim said, handing out his hand for Darren to shake.

'Yeah it was, Mr Colfer, and you also Hannah' Darren said, waving at the sleepy girl who smiled serenely at Darren.

Chris turned to Darren and said 'hey thanks for coming'

'Thank your mum for inviting me' Darren said and winked at Karyn who blushed a little.

'Yeah well… Do you think we'll see each other again before I leave back home?' Chris asked, suddenly feeling the need to cry again, it felt like he was ripping himself in half and he didn't like that sensation one bit.

'Of course we will, if it's alright with your parents, I would really like to spend more time with you Chris, I don't want this to be the last time we will ever see each other' Darren said.

Tim and Karyn turned to each other and smiled at the words Darren was saying, Chris was going to be safe, now more than ever they were sure that they were making the right plan, Chris might not at first but he will come to appreciate what they were doing for him.

After that Darren walked off into the San Francisco night and the Colfers drove back to their hotel for the night. By the time they arrived Hannah was fast asleep and Tim had to carry her up, leaving Chris and Karyn alone together.

'So do you honestly like Darren?' Chris asked.

'Of course I do, I love Darren' Karyn said, walking slowly with her son up the staris to their room.

'He is a great boy and I'm glad you have him' Karyn smiled at Chris before she rushed off to unlock the door for Tim who had his hands full.

Chris watched his mother go thinking that he was also glad that he had Darren in his life, he meant more to him then he even knew at that moment in his life.


End file.
